Ephesians 6:4 (LSB)

Passage

Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

Nearby Context

Ephesians 6:2 Honor your father and mother (which is the first commandment with a promise),

Ephesians 6:3 so that it may be well with you, and that you may live long in the land.

Ephesians 6:4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

Ephesians 6:5 Slaves, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in the integrity of your heart, as to Christ;

Ephesians 6:6 not by way of eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart,

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "fathers", "provoke", "children", "anger", "bring", "discipline", "instruction", and "lord". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "fathers" and "provoke", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 3's "so that it may be well with..." into verse 5's "Slaves be obedient to those who are...", so "fathers" and "provoke" belong inside that flow. In Ephesians context, the local focus is grace, union with Christ, the church, and new creation.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "fathers" and "provoke" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.